This is part one of a four-part lecture entitled Thematic Analysis. The materials were created by Virginia Braun, Victoria Clarke and Nikki Hayfield; the lecture is narrated by Victoria Clarke. The materials were created for postgraduate students at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK, as such there may be reference to our virtual learning environment Blackboard. Any handouts and the lecture slides are avaliable on www.thematicanalysis.net.